Unpopular new taxes on tobacco, sodas and liquor aimed at helping reduce the V.I. government’s structural budget deficit go into effect May 1. Mapp called the new excise tax rates “sin taxes” when his administration proposed them in December of 2016. After some changes, the Senate approved them March 1 and Mapp signed them into law later in March.

On Friday, the V.I. Internal Revenue Bureau issued notice of the new tax schedule, which applies directly to businesses which import these products. Customers will ultimately pay the tax as distributors pass the cost to retailers who pass it on to customers.

Share this:

Related

Related Links

Social Share

Support the VI Source

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall - we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. Our sites are more popular than ever, but advertising revenues are falling - so you can see why we could use your help. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. If everybody who appreciates our reporting efforts were to help fund it for as little as $1, our future would be much more secure. Thanks in advance for your support!

I agree with all of the above responses. You have to set an example , driving around in expensive cars, having no accountability at all in any part of the government , does not bred confidence with the voters. If you want people to pay a sin tax make sure you are spending the money wisely, not your lavish lifestyle.

Sin taxes wont help much. Wall street thinks the VI Government is a joke and they are treating the VI like reckless spenders…. drying up the VI’s ability to borrow more $ which would only increase the VI’s “bills” even more. The Gov’t should be watching Puerto Rico as it’s only a matter of time before “professionals” take over. Hey VI Gov’t… NEWSFLASH…. the rest of us have to pay attention to our income and bills – it’s about time you do too. Thanks much for getting us into this mess – hope you feel the pain as much as we do.

Many use the Internet to store their digital files on a remote server. If the owner dies, these digital assets could be lost forever, but a bill before the Legislature on Thursday, Dec. 14, would remedy this, according to Troy A. de Chabert-Schuster .

Helicopter Association International (HAI) has named Maria Rodriguez of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, a pilot for Caribbean Buzz, the 2018 winner of its Salute to Excellence Appareo Pilot of the Year Award.

One working hospital to serve 103,000 people on three islands. That’s the stark reality members of the 32nd Legislature Committee on Health, Hospitals and Human Services came to after hearing testimony from V.I. healthcare officials Friday.

1 Comment

Local News

In a letter to federal partners dated Tuesday, Sen. Nereida Rivera-O’Reilly expressed opposition to the proposed burning of wood debris and waste on St. Croix and St. Thomas, and demanded that any burning be halted.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources $100,000 to support communities of the territory that depend on clean water resources.

A burn permit has been issued for the island of St. Croix to allow FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers to burn debris left over from the two devastating hurricanes that pounded the territory in September, Gov. Kenneth Mapp announced Monday night.

While the names of the five victims of Thursday evening's plane crash on St. Croix have not officially been confirmed, one member of the popular Stylee Band out of St. Croix has been widely published as a fatality.